Something is very odd about that Romney fundraiser video

Two months from May 17th? Eh?

There’s something very odd about the question asked at the Romney fundraiser that was secretly filmed without Romney’s knowledge.

In the video, an obvious Ayn Rand devotee asks, “For the past three years, all everybody’s been told is, “don’t worry, we’ll take care of you.” How are you going to do it, in two months before the elections to convince everybody ‘you’ve got to take care of yourself’?”.

Two months from May 17th was July 17th. Why ask about “two months before the elections” in mid-May? By July 17th, all of the primaries were over. In fact, on May 17th, the election was still five and half months away. The video itself was released almost two months from the election.

Anyone have any ideas? I tweeted the question to David Corn to see if he knows.

@davidcorndc Serious question: If the video was shot May 17, what did the guy asking the question mean by “2 months before the elections”?

I have no idea what the guy asking the question meant by “two months before the elections”. I’m not saying the video isn’t authentic. Mitt Romney isn’t denying that he said those things so he clearly DID say them. I just find the phrasing very odd.

Give me your ideas in the comments if you have any thoughts on the matter.

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It was a hypothetical. There is about two months between the conventions and the elections. Maybe my memory is failing, but it seems to me that most of the general campaign used to happen during that span. Now we have have been ‘treated’ to a general campaign that has lasted basically since Romney became the apparent winner. It could also be that these folks were being asked to contribute to the general campaign, and I believe there are laws that limit these funds to being spent between the convention and the election.

http://twitter.com/JaaaaayCeeeee JC Atwood

No, there is no question about this having been recorded after May 17, if I remember what they were talking at this point in the video: The donors were complaining about one of Romney’s answers, where he talked about how during the summer people tune out, and he’ll catch up after Labor Day. Pls. correct me if I’m wrong, but that leads to the donor who can subtract Labor Day from Election Day, and complain that it gives their narrative only 2 months?

Sidney18511

Your right, had this taken place in May, the questioner would of said 5 months. This has to be very recent. Good catch.

checkin in

You’re right… would have or would’ve Man, what private school did you go to?

http://www.facebook.com/shane.lear Shane Lear

Two months ago, two years ago, two minutes ago.. he said what he said.

http://twitter.com/FinchHaven John Sage

mmm… no great conspiracy/mystery here, methinks.

I’m guessing the speaker (if he was really as rigidly pedantic as you’re wanting him to be) was referring to the span of time after Romney’s official nomination and before the general election.

Remember, that although the nomination was not really in any doubt, Romney was not the Republican candidate until after the convention.

http://eclectablog.com Eclectablog

Yeah, but he would not have been trying to convince the leeches of society during that time as the questioner was asking. Just Republicans.
I’m not saying that there is a conspiracy. Just that the event may not have taken place in May but more recently. Or not. I just think it’s odd.

http://smoothededges.blogspot.com Matt Borgard

I’m almost positive this is correct. Add to that the perception that no one pays attention before the conventions (which I disagree with, but it’s what all the insiders believe), and the two months thing starts to make sense.

Jon Wiesman

Hey Chris. Yeah, I noticed that too and wondered about it. There is also a place in one of the video snippets that I’ve seen where Romney is talking about going on the View and Regis and someone shouts out “Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan”. Strahan wasn’t announced as co-host until Sept 4th, but he did do a lot of guest hosting before that decision so maybe it’s nothing, or maybe someone in that room was privy to the decision, or maybe the video was taken later than we thought?

Not a big deal. I think there’s a plausible scenario where someone in May is talking about strategy for the final two months of the campaign, and I think it’s possible that someone in May having seen Strahan guest host for Ripa would assume that he’s the next permanent host before the decision was made.

Maybe the questioner was talking about what Romney was going to do in the LAST two months of the election (since that is typically when the most activity in the election takes place).

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1026883350 Pam Tucker

You’re correct: Romney was giving a hypothetical scenario that put him two months before the election. He wasn’t talking about two months after May 17.

middleofseven

methinks Romney is fixing to lose and doing everything in his power to lose. He is providing the materials as needed to blow the election. Either he is not liking the directions his pimps have taken or he doesn’t want to play the game any longer.He is definitely deliberately sabotaging his own campaign-the why is unclear at this point.

http://www.facebook.com/gfredericks1 Gloria Fredericks

It might be just hypothetical. The thing that is suspicious is how Romney’s campaign is rapidly going downhill and it is self inflicted. My suspicion is that Romney’s campaign manager is a closet Democrat. Seriously.

Boothie

Perhaps they meant Conventions?

Pamela Irwin

I’m thinking he meant “in THE months” & it either sounded like “two” or he inadvertently said “two” instead of “the”.

OldOwl

May still makes sense if the talk was about the media blitz after the convention: what we used to call the “campaign.” The “two months before the elections” fits that line of thinking. No need to get all conspiratorial.

Arbold

Is this in response to the Romney argument that they would wait until the end to launch their ad blitz?

Kaitlyn

It likely had to do with the comment that Romney made directly before the question was asked, in which he said that the campaigning would “get fun” in September and October:

Romney: … I said we’re going to go into a season here starting with the beginning of June with almost no attention paid, then after Labor Day, in September and October, that’s when it’ll get fun.
Audience member: For the last three years, all everybody’s been told is, “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you.” How are you going to do it, in two months before the elections, to convince everybody you’ve got to take care of yourself?

As was already noted, the questions asked of Romney (and this was an question an answer period) mentioned the last two months, as Romney had in the previous answer stated that in the coming months of Summer people tuned out, so if you watch the entire video, which is now availble, its pretty clear that it was filmed in May.
But thanks for giving the right-wing nutters yet another reason to undermine the video. Good job there, Brownie!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1026883350 Pam Tucker

I agree with you on that. I don’t understand how anyone can listen – really listen – to the whole thing and not use a little common sense on what the time frame was about. It boggles the mind. Meghan McCain said yesterday that “the video was taken out of context”. Where do these people come from and how do they manage to get through each day in one piece.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1154621420 Gary Hitesman

I did a search of election schedules in Boca Rotan and saw a few results indicating elections around early to mid August? But then that is 3 months.

Tony Trupiano is the host of the radio program, The Voice of the People, heard on blogtalkradio.com every Monday through Friday from 9 AM until Noon ET and the author of two books, and has been part of the progressive media landscape for 20-plus years. Known as "The Voice of Labor" and as an activist & advocate, Tony has no problem showing up for a good fight. Follow him on Twitter @tonytrupiano.